Oct 16

Coming on the wave of an energy resurgence, one natural gas producer is expanding its footprint in Houston.

BP Lower 48 inked a 91K SF lease at West Memorial Place at 15375 Memorial Drive in Houston.

The company, wholly owned by BP and based in Denver, plans to relocate its Houston office and occupy three full floors later this year. The deal includes 5,500 SF on the ground level to construct an amenity-rich, multiuse space for employees that will feature patio seating overlooking Terry Hershey Park.

“We are thrilled to welcome an industry leader like BP Lower 48 as our newest tenant at West Memorial Place. Their expertise in the energy sector and history in the Houston market make them an ideal addition to our Energy Corridor campus,” Skanska USA Commercial Executive Vice President Matt Damborsky said in a release.

The campus in the Energy Corridor has two Class-A office buildings: West Memorial Place I totaling 331K SF and West Memorial Place II measuring 385K SF. Both consume 30% less energy than typical baseline buildings. The campus has a fitness center with locker rooms and showers, an on-site café, car wash service and a bike-share program.

While the area was impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Skanska announced in November that both buildings were fully functional and were back online. They were reportedly the first office buildings in the Energy Corridor to recover post-storm.

JLL’s Louis Rosenthal and Anya Marmuscak represented the tenant. Skanska is the developer/owner.

EXECS

David Bateman was hired as senior vice president for Transwestern’s Healthcare Advisory Services. He will provide agency leasing and occupier solutions services to healthcare clients in Greater Houston. Previously with Hartman REIT, Bateman oversaw leasing and brokerage operations and completed 300 transactions for 6M SF valued at $100M.

Endress+Hauser has selected a site in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District for its Gulf Coast Regional Center. The 100K SF center will feature a calibration and repair shop and offer office and training space. The site is on 17 acres on the southeast corner of Beltway 8 and Kirby Drive. The Pearland Economic Development Corp. and the city of Pearland provided the company with site consultation.

Row House, a fitness rowing brand, and StretchLab, an assisted stretching concept, plan to open five locations in Houston. The parent company sold over 100 franchise territories for each brand and will make a nationwide expansion including in the Bay Area, Denver, Tampa and Westchester County, New York.

Hartman Income REIT Management completed renovations at Ashford Crossing II. The upgrades include the first-floor restrooms, paint in the hallway, new carpet, outdoor seating areas and the tenant lounge.

THIS AND THAT

Hines’ 609 Main at Texas has been certified Platinum under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED BD+C: Core and Shell Rating System. The 48-story, 1M SF office tower is on the corner of Main and Texas streets in Downtown Houston.

Two privately owned commercial real estate firms, U.S.-based Transwestern Commercial Services and Canada-based Devencore, announced a strategic alliance to extend their integrated service capabilities across North American to serve clients globally. The partnership will allow for collaboration on cross-border occupier, agency and capital markets opportunities and provide research, marketing and consulting to support existing and future clients.